Gender-Bending Baby Names

This week’s names in the news cross gender boundaries. Some of them are more popular for boys, others for girls, and some are so rare they could go either way. See what you think – are these names more boy or girl to you?

Actor Theo Rossi and his wife chose a name that’s speeding up the charts for their new son, ArloBenjamin. Arlo entered the US Top 1000 in 2011, and reached #349 in 2016. It’s also used for a small but growing number of girls, 56 in 2016. With Harlow sitting at #420 for girls, and Marlowe rising, it’s not surprising that some parents are turning to Arlo for a similar sound for their daughters – although they won’t be outnumbering the boys any time soon.

DaltonWilliam is the name of singer AshleyMonroe and baseball player John Danks’ new son. This cowboyish surname/place name peaked for boys in the late 1990s, and still ranks at #331. On the girls’ side, it’s uncommon but not unheard of: 7 girls were called Dalton in 2016. With -ton names like Peyton and Sutton in the top 1000 for girls, Dalton doesn’t seem so out of place. It could even give you the vintage nickname Dolly.

TV host Mark Steines and his wife recently welcomed a daughter, ParkerRose. Along with occupational names like Sawyer and Carter, Parker is popular for both sexes. It’s #87 for boys and #217 for girls in the US, and still rising for both. Actress ParkerPosey has helped to make it feel comfortable as a girls’ name.

Boy or girl? There’s a boy Jaymison in the latest birth announcements on the French website Neuf Mois, but the spelling might give you pause. Sometimes parents use a Y spelling to make a name feminine – as in Jaymie, which has always leaned more girl than boy. Jaymison has only ever charted for boys, but the most popular spelling, Jameson (which ranks #128 for boys), was used for 59 girls last year.

Another state name in the news! Parents who are big fans of the Tennessee Volunteers football team have just welcomed triplets: TennesseeGrace and her brothers, Knox and Neyland (the name of the team’s stadium). You might think of playwright TennesseeWilliams (his pen name), or Reese Witherspoon’s son, and assume Tennessee is more of a male name. But until 1995 it only charted for girls. Last year, 24 boys and 24 girls were given the name.

Are you surprised this name isn’t more popular? From Ava and Mason to Grey and Faye, so many of the top names have “ay” sounds that Day(e) seems like a natural addition to the list. In 2016, only 7 girls and 5 boys in the US were named Day, and the -e spelling is almost unheard of. British soap actress Jennifer Metcalfe has used it for her son, Daye Colmic. (His middle name is a smoosh of his grandfathers’ names, Colin and Mick.)

If you love a good hipster name (without actually admitting you’re a hipster, of course), this book sounds like fun. While not all the names mentioned are likely to catch on (looking at you, Gyoza and Pixar), many of them are already being used. Like Jagger, Kale, Tesla, Wes…and Beryl? Bold parents might revive this vintage gemstone name for a girl, but as the article points out, it was also given to a decent number of boys in the 1910s, 20s and 30s. What do you think – would you dare use Beryl for a boy?

lesliemarion Says:

southern.maple Says:

Ah, yes. Yet another post where masculine names are suggested as fresh choices for a girl while the lone suggestion meant for boys – Beryl, in this case – is given an “if you dare” line. I’m glad to see Nameberry continues to inspire social change by encouraging casual sexism in naming.

name_sage Says:

I think it’s odd to think of a name as being “only boys” or “only girls”. I think that might be an unpopular view on Nameberry, but I think history shows us that gendered names can swing widely from one side to the other. If it works for your child, why not? I currently work in a Middle School and we have several boy/girl pairs who have the same name. Doesn’t seem to bother them in the least. Kids seem much more open-minded to names these days than people give them credit for.

Ok, now all that being said, I have to admit where I’m a hypocrite. I have a really hard time with girls names that end in Son or begin with Mc (as in Son of). Just a personal pet peeve. Lol.

nml28 Says:

jessiemay Says:

And Nikki Reed just named her new daughter Bodhi Soleil! To be honest, I LOVE a good unisex name myself, and I don’t think it’s anyone’s place to say that any name is or isn’t for someone on the basis of their sex. There’s no “loss” or “shame” to one side, it’s just the way names develop over time! Long live unisex names <3

Liz Kent Says:

Please don’t be horrid and give your child a name that belongs to the opposite gender! My friend Alex gets annoyed enough with people that just see her name written assuming she’s a boy, and Alex is a unisex name! Unisex is fine, but using the opposite gender is just cruel to your child.

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